Sunday, January 13, 2013

Day 13- Listening

I try to listen to what my children are saying. Not hear what they are saying, but listen...really listen. Nonetheless, I still catch myself doing the whole "yeah, hmm, uh huh, cool..." thing, but not really listening. When this happens, I stop whatever I'm doing (this usually means putting my phone down), I look into their eyes as they speak to me -- and I do my best, my honest best, to give them a genuine and thoughtful response to whatever they've said. You wouldn't believe how hard this is to do. It is so tempting to half-listen or half-respond. It is so tempting to let my mind wander to the next thing on my to-do list, but I feel that listening (closely) is one of the most simple, yet most profound ways, I can serve my children. 

2 comments:

  1. This is a very good reminder! We live in what I call an "instant gratification generation" and our phones, pad and computers are a central part of our lives. I definitely have to remember to LISTEN and encourage my kids to stop and listen as well. My husband and I realized we were holding many conversations with one or the other busy and walking about. We now make an effort to stop and listen. It's so nice!

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  2. Good point! This doesn't just apply to our children, but to our spouses as well!!

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